For the upcoming Makar Sankranti festival, traditional foods such as: Murukulu, Vadas, Savory Pongal and other sweets and snacks are prepared.

Pongal in Telugu and Tamil means to " boil over" or "spill over". It comes in two varieties: savory and sweet. Savory pongal are usually made for breakfast or lunch, while Sweet Pongal is generally prepared in temples as a prasadam, (an offering made to  God). I decided to try my version of sweet pongal in an Instant Pot and it came out great!

This hearty coconut milk and rice dessert is perfect for a cold winter's day. Tasty, and filling with just the right amount of crisp warming spice from the cardamom and cloves, topped with toasted cashews and plump raisins. Here's my recipe:

Instant Pot Sweet Pongal

By Emily (Cooking for Kishore)

Easy recipe for a delicious and quick dessert!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Moong dal (Mung beans, shelled & halved)
• 1/2 cup Basmati Rice
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Ghee
• 1 Tbsp Raw Cashew
• 1 Tbsp Golden Raisins
• 3 Whole Cardamom pods, crushed
• 2 Cloves, crushed
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
• A pinch of Saffron
• 1 can of Coconut Milk
• 2.5 Cups Water

Instructions

1. Set your Instant Pot to the Sauté setting. Add 1 Tbsp Ghee, Beans, and Rice, stirring occasionally.
2. Cook bean mixture till slightly golden. Then add the coconut milk, sugar, water, saffron, and spices. Put the lid on and change the setting of your Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure for 14 minutes. Make sure the pressure valve on the lid is set to Sealing.
3. While that's cooking, heat up 1 Tbsp of ghee in a small pan on the stove, add the cashews and raisins. Sauté till raisins are plump and cashews are lightly toasted, then set aside for later.
4. After pressure cooking is done, allow the pot to vent slowly. Carefully remove lid and serve topped with toasted cashews and raisins.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook time: 14 mins.
Total time: 24 mins.
Tags: instant pot pongal recipe, instant pot recipes, instant pot sweet pongal recipe, sweet pongal recipe, makar sankranti instant pot recipe, south indian festival foods, south indian recipe, instant pot recipes

Enjoy!

I have entered this post to My Legume Love Affair #124, hosted by The Veg Hog at The Veg Hog and Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen and Susan's The Well Seasoned Cook.